Departures

1) One way the book describes how they were able to have multiple religions was “because Shinto did not have strict doctrines, and because there were many points in common between the two religions, Japanese were able to combine Shinto and Buddhism without much difficulty. They are able to do this because of a tradition of taking elements from foreign cultures and adopting the best parts of them. The book calls this litoko-dori which is described as the “habit of adopting the most useful borrowings.” Therefore people are able to have multiple religions because they take the parts they like from both religions and mesh them together to have their own personal spirituality.

2) Litodori is the process of taking elements from foreign cultures. One scene that shows this was when the main character asked what type of music he should play for Christmas. The man said he didn’t care Buddhist, Christian, etc”. This showed that the Japanese have a variety of traditions rooted in foreign cultures.

3) The job was to prepare dead bodies to be cremated. At first Daigo is ashamed of the job and won’t tell anyone about the job. But in the end he likes the job and lets his wife leave him so that he can keep the job. From the parts of the movie watched in class, Daigo’s wife is always disgusted by the job and does not want her husband to continue it.

4) The biggest difference is that the rituals for preparing the body are public in Japan, but private in America. In America someone takes the body to a mortician and the family does not see the body again until the funeral. However, in Japan the family is present and the preparing of the body is part of the ritual.

5) This movie showed an interesting view of Daniyo Kankei between Daigo and his wife. In the beginning of the movie she acts as expected by supporting his decision to move and to quit the cello. She also acts as expected when she does not get a job because of Daigo’s new job. However, there are also scenes when she breaks the tradition of the woman being completely subordinate to the male. For example, she left him and stood her ground on her opinion that he should not be working with the dead.  Moreover, she demonstrates how the social status of women is becoming more equal to men.

6) Thus far the movie has made me think about how American society views souls versus how Japanese does. The film shows many grieving families and it made me think about how I would like my funeral to go. Overall, I found this movie to be one of the more interesting ones that we’ve watched, and I am curious to know how it ends. 

litokodori suskiki

Litoko dori

“Japan has a long established tradition of adopting elements of foreign culture and adapting them for Japanese use” (127) This reminded me of Americanized food. Even when restaurants are advertised as authentic Mexican, or Chinese, or Thai, etc, they rarely are. I saw this when I worked at an authentic Mexican restaurant. At the end of the shift when the cooks would cook for the employees the type of food they made was completely different: the food for the employees was authentic and the food served was Americanized. The way America takes food from other cultures and adopts it is similar to Litoko dori.

“Japanese students will not oppose bullies… because they are afraid of speaking out individually without a group consciousness to back them” (131) This reminded me of a social experiment I learned about in sociology class. A guy was placed in a room with eight or so actors of the experiment. The guy thought that he and the actors were there to do a study on visual perception. The group was shown a picture of three lines with differing lengths, and then an actor asked each of them individually to say which the shortest line was. The actors were instructed to purposely choose an obviously wrong answer. Then, because all the actors chose the wrong answer, the guy did too. I find this interesting because it shows that all of humanity has a need to stick with the group consciousness.

Sushiki

“Respect and honor for the souls of one’s ancestors.” In general, American culture values the souls of the dead; however, I personally do not believe in souls. American culture is rooted in Christianity which is why in America we have phrases such as “they’re in a better place now.” That is an American way of respecting dead souls. But, I am atheist and do not agree with American beliefs regarding death and afterlife.

“Cremation was a better way to purify death.” I would like to be cremated, and I like the Buddhist view that this is a way of purifying death—it seems almost poetic. American norm, though, is to be buried in a coffin. However, cremation isn’t necessarily deviant. If America had the same lack of land that Japan had then cremation would probably be more common. 

Essay

1.       Early nineteenth century American Landscape paintings and Edo period Japanese landscape woodcuts.

2.       Wabi Sabi, the do spirit

3.       The reason that these two landscape pieces are stylistically different is  because Japan’s approach to nature was influenced by Buddhism and wabi sabi; whereas, America’s approach to nature was influenced by romanticism and transcendentalism.

4.       MLA

5.       Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson, n.d. Print.

R      Roque, Oswaldo. "The Oxbow by Thomas Cole: Iconography of an American Landscape Painting." The Metropolitan Museum of Art: n. pag. Print.

From up of Poppy Hill

1.       “…So if one presents an entirely opposing point of view, no matter how logical or effective it might be, it will be seen by others as losing face and insulting.” Nemawashi is the behind the scene politics of decision-making in business-world Japan. I found this quote about nemawashi interesting because it is different from American ideals. For example, there was recently a debate between Bill Nye, a famous scientist, and a well-known creationist. This would not happen in Japan where people are supposed to reach decisions with little conflict. America sensationalizes opposition and conflict.

2.       “…causes individuals to refrain from becoming independent.” This quote shows how group-consciousness of Japan is deeply related to Nemawashi. For example, both are about choosing harmony over your own views, and both are about self-sacrifice for the sake of group cohesiveness.

3.       Sempai-Kohai:

(191) “For example, third-year students have great power in junior high and senior high schools, and especially in clubs, these relationships are important.” This is similar to American culture. Even though it is not necessarily based on rank, more often than not the leaders of clubs will be seniors. Another similarity is that the as you move through the ranks at school, you gain more responsibility.

(191) “in most classes students would never criticize or talk back to the teacher.” This is the opposite of American culture where student are constantly testing their boundaries with teachers. I have observed my fellow classmates, throughout school, purposely trying to show that they are smarter than the teacher; and, goofing off just to prove that the teacher has no control over them. Also, it is portrayed in American media that it is cool to rebel against authority.

4. According to Sempai and Kohai, Syun is a higher ranking than Umi. This is because he is in a higher grade level and because he is in charge of a literature club. Therefore, in their relationship he is dominant.

5. I do not believe the club house embodied wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi deals with quite, solitary, empty space. The club house, however, was always loud, full of people, and filled with clutter.

6. One of the themes of otogibanashi is patience and pity, this can be seen in the scene when the kids wait for the head of education: it shows the kids patience, and the pity of the head of the education. Later in this scene, Umi acts as the tragic heroine when she describes the loss of her father. Otobanashi women often had to endure grief; therefore, it was significant that Umi used the death of her father to win the favor of the head of education.

7. When I watched the movie I had thought that Miyazaki did not know that they were not actually brother and sister. If this was true then it would have been an example of ambiguity in Japan. I thought it was all a misunderstanding based in aimai.

8. The club house served as Nemawashi because it was similar to a place of business and it was where decisions where made behind the scenes. Moreover, it was a place where the background decision making of nemawashi could take place.

9. I do not believe so because she was an independent woman. The textbook says that “women were not allowed to be superior to men”. She however, did not have a man to define her. Another reason I do not believe so is because Umi did all of the housework. The book says that “women have the additional pressure of doing the housework.” If any character captured the concepts of Ryosaikenbo it was Umi and not her grandmother.

10. I think she has already developed the housework and childrearing aspect of Ryosaikenbo. However, because of the independent women around her, I doubt that she will ever consider herself subordinate to a man.

11. I thought the film had a strange plot. At the same time though, it followed the same basic plot of American movies: couple meets, start to like each other, something happens that they can’t be together, then they overcome that obstacle. I thought it was interesting that there were two mostly unrelated plots happening simultaneously. 

Memoirs of a Geisha

1.       From the movie I learned that geisha practice being walking forms of art by wearing traditional clothing, using traditional make up, perfecting fan dancing, having artful hairstyles, and being able to hold intellectual conversations.

2.       I like when the snow has just melted but there is still some piles of dirty snow. This aesthetic is in line with the Japanese concept of aware because it appreciates a wilted, weathered, and subtle beauty.

3.       I think it lost moments of ma but not aware. It lost ma because when the film is in English the American viewer assumes that all the important information will be communicated verbally; therefore, the viewer is not looking for the meaning of silence or subtle body language. However, I do not think that it lost aware because of the visual quality of the movie. For example, the overall color palette switches between scenes of high saturation and scenes of muddy neutrals; and this juxtaposition draws attention to moments of aware.

4.       In America, one event that celebrates the seasons is July 4^th . Even though this celebrates the history of America, it is the first summer holiday. This day is celebrated by common summer pastimes, such as cooking out, swimming, and back yard sports. If this were a Japanese holiday the celebration would call attention to the fact that it was summer rather than just being a product of summer.

5.       The end scene where the man becomes her donna embodies the otogibanashi themes of patience and pity. It shows the patience of the man because he waited for her even though it was unlikely he would be allowed to pursue her because of his friend. It also shows pity because she thought she was going to have to have the other man be her donna. Moreover, their crying shows the emotional beauty of Japanese folklore.

6.       Wabi-sabi describes a visual and emotional beauty of Japanese culture. The book defines this as “emphasis on empty space , lack of ornamental, and quiet.” This was influenced by Buddhism and is expressed through Haiku and Tea Ceremony. Moreover, the book says that the Wabi-Sabi “sense of beauty should not be explicit.”

I find this same approach to art in some Modern and Contemporary American artists, such as Hellen Frankenthaller and Mouris Louis. Both of these artists were working with the soak stain method which involves pouring oil paint onto raw canvas. The result of this method is an image that is about color and simplicity. Also, it I often the type of art that people who do not know art history consider “not to be art”. Therefore it is not explicit, which is how the book defines Wabi-Sabi.

7.        I saw Wabi-Sabi during her first fan dance and during her major preview dance. More specifically, in her spotlight dance her movements were elegant and emotionally charged, but the overall progression of the dance was simple. This drew attention to every more she made. This was also a dramatic dance, especially when it started snowing.  Moreover, this reflects wabi-sabi  because it was dramatic but not too extravagant, and  because it used delicate movement to create complexity.

8.       My favorite scene was the main dance. I thought this was a powerful moment of human expression. I was somewhat shocked by the ending of the movie. Even though it was foreshadowed that they were going to end up together I thought the other guy was going to be her donna. If this were an American movie, the scene of him becoming her donna would have been filled with action as opposed to a quiet cry. 

Blog#8: What makes me American/wabi sabi/ otogibanashi/ Kisetso/Bigaku

What makes me American?

       I am American by geography. There are too many facets of American culture and too much diversity to say that any one characteristic of my culture defines me. And in many ways I am not American: I don’t like hot dogs, I find baseball boring, I think an individualistic mindset can be destructive, and I don’t want to get married and have 2.5 kids. I do not share the American dream; therefore, I am an American by location.

Bigaku

       “…in Western art, people try to construct something of beauty with logic of what is beautiful. In contrast, Japanese focuses on what people feel is beautiful.” (37)This is a true statement for traditional western art such as Manet and Hals. These artists saw art as a system for beauty and developed techniques of oil painting accordingly. However, once Abstract Expressionism began, this view of art completely changed. Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler and DeKooning were working to replicate what they felt as beautiful. Now, in contemporary western art, there are still many artists working such as the Japanese in that they develop compositions based on instinct rather than systems.

       “Young Japanese study how to play them so that they can create their own songs.” (36) I was shocked that this was only a recent occurrence. American culture has always stressed the importance of developing your own style, innovation, or creativity. This makes me wonder if Japanese culture has the same copyright controversies that America does. I would guess that they do not, since most of America’s problems come from a deeply individualistic mindset.

Otogibanashi

       “Japanese heroines are often tragic figures and have to endure grief.” (173) I found this interesting because all heroes in American culture are men. It hasn’t been until recently that this has been changing.  This can be seen in classic princess movies such as Cinderella and Snow White. Even though the women are the main characters they are completely dependent of men and are often idiots. Moreover, American women in literature don’t endure grief and aren’t tragic figures; instead, they are worthless and mindless.

       “Patience and pity are seen as virtues” (175) This makes sense with previous concepts discussed in this book, such as the way Japanese don’t have public recognition. In American folklore there is more of an emphasis on vices rather than virtues. For example, the Iliad by Homer is more about the vice of hubris than the virtues of being a strong warrior.

Wabi Sabi

       “Sense of beauty should not be explicit” (226) I am a security guard at the Akron Art Museum and there is a painting there that was influenced by Japanese culture and is simply a textured black square in between two white rectangles. This painting is epitome of inexplicit beauty and is a successful and thought provoking piece; however, the general public gets irate when they see this piece and often ask me why it is considered art. After I explain the piece to them they are usually appreciative of it; but, people’s initial reactions reveal that in American culture beauty is obvious and blunt.

       “Simplicity and elegance are often considered two of the essential aesthetic qualities of Japanese culture.”(223)  This reminds me of the Minimalism (a western art movement that was popular in the 50’s and 60’s). The difference though is that this Japanese aesthetic uses subtle organic and gesture to lead the viewer on a journey. Minimalism, however, uses factorized products and geometry to create simplicity that is void of the artist’s touch.

Kisetsu

       “Omisoka is a family event in which people are busy all day preparing to welcome in the New Year.”(155) I find it interesting that the one holiday a year that America puts more importance on community is the one holiday that Japan puts more importance on family. In Akron, for example, there is this community program called First Night, which helps build a sense of community. Another tradition that builds as sense of community is watching the New York Ball drop- either in person or on television .In Japan; however, there is more of a focus on family. This is counterintuitive because Japan is known for groupism and America individualism.

       “… to enjoy beautiful colors of autumn, most people have to go to the outskirts of their cities.” (157). In large cities of America people encounter the same problem. However, America is very big and there are vast areas of protected wilderness, such as Alaska, Yellow Stone, and National Parks in general. Even though this is true, many Americans don’t have the desire to venture into the wilderness.  When Americans do take vacations it is most often in large cities with oceans, and not the undeveloped wilderness.  

Iwo Jima

1.       At first they are distant and Saigo does not let Shimizu sleep next to him. They move through hedataru and deepen their friendship by najimu when Shimizu opens up and tells Saigo about how he was discharged for not killing a dog. Another incident that helped them move to najimu was when Shimizu gave Saigo the advice to stay back and crawl on the ground.

2.       One focus of Do Spirits is repetition and ritual. This can be seen when the general gives the men a speech and then raises his arms and shouts. Even the soldiers who did not believe in the cause followed the ritual. This put most of the soldiers at ease and prepared them for battle. Another aspect of do spirits is appreciation of nature and beauty. This shows up in the movie when the soldiers debate whether their lives are worth the barren island, for many of the soldiers it was.

3.       General Kuribayashi used drinking to move from hedataru to najimu with the Olympian. For him it was a sign that he wanted to open up and deepen their friendship. It was a sign of such because alcohol was rare in that situation and therefore saved for special occasions. This scene reminded me of the American smoking culture. At social gatherings there is always a point when the smokers have to go outside and then there is this division of people who go outside and deepen their friendship.

4.       One negative effect was the general became an outsider for going to America. This resulted in his men not listening to him, which led to a mass suicide and a foolish attack. It also led to an officer almost murdering Saigo. If uchi to soto wasn’t so integrated in the mindset of the officers, they would have obeyed their general.

5.       Two negative groupism scenes was the mass suicide and the almost murder of Saigo. In the first scene many of the soldiers were reluctant to commit suicide but as more soldiers gave in even the most reluctant committed suicide. Then when Saigo escaped that situation he was almost murdered for not going along with the group.

6.       One connection between the two movies was the need to follows orders and die admirably. For example, Bushido can be seen in both of the suicide scenes. Dying with honor was rooted in Bushido and is why the soldiers committed suicide. In the first movie he died when his final task was complete and in Iwo Jima they died because their orders were to die before giving up their position.

7.       General Kuribayashi was different because he visited America for some time and therefore has a humanized perception of American soldiers. However, he was still maintaining his patriotism and loyalty to the Emperor by taking his military position seriously. An example of his softness towards the Americans can be seen when he gave the American soldier medicine.

Saigo hated his position and often voiced his negative opinion of the emperor and the war. He had these feelings because his county took him away from his family and made him fated to die a meaningless death. This influenced his decision to not commit suicide.

Shimizu was serious about his military duties and was a loyal patriot with favorable views of the emperor. This is because he trained at a prestigious military academy. This effected his decision not to commit suicide and was why he was convinced when Saigo brought up the point that a dead soldier is worthless soldier.

8.       This is a memorial for all Japanese soldiers who died in war, including those of WWII. It is controversial because the souls of war criminals reside there. I don’t think it should be a problem for officials to visits this site because even though it houses war criminals, it also honors loyal soldiers who died for their country.

9.       The movie was unlike American war films. In American films the soldiers don’t have a need for “honor” but they have a desire to die fighting. Also, American culture is more understanding of the fact that if you were drafted you put your own life ahead of the country. This difference can be seen by comparing this movie to Saving Private Ryan, where even though the soldiers have mission, they are mostly focused on their own survival.

10.   Do you think that because of hedataru and Najimu, that the pistol held more significant for the Japanese general as opposed to the American one?

Hedaturu to Najima; Shudan Ishiki; The Do spirit of Japan

Hedataru to Najimu

                “Each person has his or her own privacy even though they are in the same room.” (111)For me this would be awkward and I could never have privacy amongst other people. However, this is probably common in areas of America that have high population density, such as New York. Also probably how dorm life is, but I would not know from experience.

                “Keep about ninety centimeters from one’s master in order not to step on his shadow.” (110) I found the shadow game among children interesting. This game is played in America, but it doesn’t have the same connotation because America does not have this ninety centimeter rule. I admire the amount of respect that the ninety centimeter rule shows.

Shudan Ishiki

                “Out of the mouth comes evil; silence is golden” (195) When my brother was in fourth grade he had a home room teacher named Ms.Brown who would make his class write “silence is golden” whenever they were too loud: they had to fill up and entire sheet of note book paper. In general, America is a more boisterous culture and I am curious to know if teachers in Japan have the same problems with rowdy kids that teachers in America have.

                “It would have been impossible to reorganize society and reconstruct the economy quite so quickly if it had not been for the strong group consciousness of the Japanese people” (197).  I have a lot of respect for the way Japan was able to bounce back so quickly. I suspect that if a similar situation would happen in America the states would divide and there would be civil war. I think this because American culture doesn’t have any constants. For example, American culture to someone who lives in New York is going to be completely different than someone who lives in Arizona.

The Do Spirit of Japan

                “Liberation from man’s intellectual nature, from the burden of fixed ideas and feelings about reality.” (74)This reminds me of transcendentalism, which was a major part of American history. Both focus of emptiness and closeness to nature.

                “Mushin (no-mind)” (76). This type of state of mind that influenced Japanese culture is very important to painting and drawing. It is the R-Mode, which means thinking on the right side of the brain. It is important because it is non-verbal thinking; hence, it can be described as no-mind. It is important to painting because it allows your hand and your brain work together without conscientiousness. 

The last Samuari

1.       Magoza demonstrates bushido when he refuses to tell the truth even though it put him in a situation where he could have died or could have killed his best friend. This shows sell-sacrificing loyalty to his master. Another time he demonstrates bushido is when he tells his master that he would love to die by his side. This shows the importance of an honorable death is samurai culture.

2.       The difference is that giri implies deep personal connection. The book gives the examples of master-subordinate, parent-child, and lovers. Obligations in American culture, however, can be mundane and not personal. For example, I have an obligation to go to work, but there is no personal connection between me and my employment.

3.       Bushido is based on a warrior’s code of conduct that emphasizes loyalty and honor; whereas, giri involve personal relationships and obligation to seek another person’s happiness. When Magoza agrees to raise the girl this shows bushido because he is being obedient to his master. However, when he waits till the girl consents to the marriage before arranging it, it is because of giri (Magoza felt obligated to make the girl happy).

4.       The scene where Magoza finalizes the wedding demonstrates how ie systems have reputations. It demonstrates this because Mahgoza is scared that because the girl is born of a criminal the family would not want that shame on their ie system. Another scene that shows how the ie system worked is when Magoza first brings up the idea of Kane marrying the merchant boy. Kane asks Magoza if she has a choice and the answer is no, she does not have a choice. In the ie system the male head of the ie made all the decisions.

5.       This causes a contradiction about Kane’s happiness. Kane knows that Magoza wants to make her happy and will make his decision accordingly, but she will only be happy if she can choose her own love. But Magoza believes that his decision to have her marry a merchant will make her happy, therefore, she agrees to the marriage to make Magoza happy. This conflict arose because of the power distribution in the ie system.

6.       American culture has traditionally favored men in the family but this trend is changing and women are being treated more equally. In my experience growing up men have always been treated better. When my mom was with my dad he was in control of everything, my mom wasn’t even allowed to check the mail. Then she met my now former stepdad and was treated better, but he still had the final say in all matters. Therefore, in my experience men are treated better and have more power in the family.

7.       Magoza’s wish was for Kane to marry a merchant. Kane’s wish was to be with Magoza. Therefore, by setting up this marriage Magoza was ignoring Kane’s wish.

8.       I think that in the end of this movie Magoza will commit suicide. One reason I think this is because it is foreshadowed in the movie by the numerous puppet show scenes that show people committing suicide. In the book it says that (pg46) achieving an honorable death is important for the samurai. Magoza was supposed to die an honorable death till he was assigned this task, when he completes this task I think he will commit suicide since he is supposed to already be dead.

9.       The puppet show was very much like Romeo and Juliet, which I had to read in high school. In this play the moral is that young love is the epitome of stupidity as evidenced by their dual suicide. I do not think that the dual suicide in the puppet show has the same meaning. 

Blog#4 Bushudo, giri, ie system

Bushido

                “Live admirably and honorably in order not to have regrets when they died” (45). This quote reminded me of the term “YOLO”, which means “you only live once”. This is usually used to excuse regrettable or idiotic behavior. I found it interesting that the Japanese, when faced with death, find the need to live admirable; whereas, Americans, when faced with death, live more selfishly. The two cultures definitely have a different meaning of the phrase “live without regret”

                “Because they may think that suicide is the easiest way to be released from all pain.” (49)This was relevant in the first movie we watched. I am curious to know what the different motivations for committing suicide are in Japan and America. I am also curious to know if Japan is, like America, affected by clusters of suicide. In America it has been documented that suicide, especially among teenagers, are more likely to happen in clusters over the period of a couple months. (It is thought that this occurs because kids see the attention that the dead kids receive and want that for themselves.)

Giri

                “A custom of returning something for goodwill” (96). This is very similar to karma. I was interested in the history behind giri and how it relates to Japanese seasons and farming. I am curious to know how the concept of good and bad karma became part of American society.

                “Contemporary Japanese society in custom of giving presents in the summer and at year’s end, called chugen and seibo, respectively.” Learning about when and why Japanese give gifts made me wonder if they celebrate birthdays. In America birthdays are (depending of the individual and whether or not it’s a “major” birthday) widely celebrated. This makes sense because birthdays celebrate independence and individuality, which are core concepts of American culture. However, in Japan the group is more important than individual recognition; therefore, I and curious to know how they celebrate birthdays.

Ie system

                “Japanese houses have butsudan (family altars) for this kind of worship” Unlike Japanese culture, America does not place value on ancestry. I am a painter and my current body of work involves taking old photographs of anonymous people and turning them into iconic figures. This is possible for me because my culture does not care about old family member and sell’s their photographs on eBay or at estate sales. After learning about butsudan, I suspect that Japanese people are not as easily forgotten and discarded after death.

                “Expressions such as ‘for the ie’ and ‘the shame till the last generation of the ie” (123). The English language has similar phrases, such as “shame on you” and “where you raised in a barn.” The difference, however, is that in America there is a separation between the individual and the family. In Japan, what you do reflects your entire ie. 

Blog#3: Swing Girls, Gambari, Honne and tamatae, Kenkyo

Gambari

                “To work hard and patiently.” Of the three definitions listed I liked this one the best because it most closely resembles my work ethic. I like the spirit of gambari and think that American culture could benefit from this. However, I was shocked to read about the negative side effects this attitude can have in Japanese culture.

                “Having free time is wasteful, even shameful.” American culture is the opposite of this. Especially when looking at the amount of television Americans watch.  I find it odd that so many Americans spend most of their lives watching fictional people live life. However, American society often encourages mass consumption of entertainment.

Kenkyo

                “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” The reason why many Americans are ambitious is so that they can get recognition. This is different from Japanese culture where humility is stressed. America also places importance on humility, but it’s a different type of humility. In Japan, humility means blending in with the group and not taking public responsibility of accomplishments; whereas, in America, humility means taking pride in your accomplishments and telling everyone about your accomplishments in a respectful manor.

                “Living in an information based society, people tend to make more of what they communicate to others that how they do so.” I once had an English professor who stressed the importance of what you say rather that how you say it. According to him, nothing meaningful could be written if the most important aspect of writing was grammar; therefore, he taught us that content was more important. I think it is good that Japanese culture is starting to place more importance on content of speech rather than rhetoric.

Honne to Tatemae

                “One’s superficial words are called tatemae, while one’s actual intentions are called hone.” I found it interesting that this is a virtue. In America people who say one thing but mean another are called “fake” or “plastic”.

                “Do not like to express themselves in a straightforward manor for fear it might hurt other’s feelings.” In America bluntness is a virtue. People often say, “Say it to my face.” People say this because American culture relies on knowing where people stand and knowing what people’s opinions are. In Japan, however, it is better to hold one’s tongue.

Swing Girls

1.       I believe the scenes in which the swing girls are told they are not good at music shows the competitive gambari spirit because the girls don’t give up. For example when their first gig is cut short because they are so bad they decide to keep playing anyway.  Then the final scene shows the result of their perseverance, equal opportunity, and competiveness. The final scene demonstrates this because the girls play better than the other bands and it is because of their gambari.

2.       I do not believe Naomi’s muscle stimulator shows gambari for two reasons. First, because it is for self-serving purposes. The book described gambari as hard work for the sake of a group or corporation so that someone in the management would recognize your hard work. Also, muscle stimulators do not work and are a substitute for doing the hard work necessary to lose weight.

3.       The character who is the most Kenkyo is the girl who was initially good at music. Even though she held the tissue up the longest and was the fastest to learn the music she did not boast and kept quiet. The math teacher was the least Kenkyo because he let people believe that he was a great jazz musician and then at the concert told people that he was the swing girl’s teacher.

4.       The tatemae of Tomoko was when she said that she was only in the band to skip class and then she willing gave up her seat. The honne was when she went outside and cried because she actually cared about the concert.  The reason she did not say that she wanted to be in that band is because she did not belong to the band and did not want them to know her true feelings or intentions.

5.       After the girls start to feel like they are actually accomplishing something by playing music their motives change from skipping class to gambari. This is especially true when the real band comes back and they no longer have to play in the concert. For them it was a realization of what being a musician could let them accomplish.

6.       If this movie was not based on gambari spirit it would have ended with them giving up. This is because throughout the movie they have to overcome the doubt of others, such as the main characters parents, the failed concert, and the teacher’s initial doubts. Without gambari spirit they would not have been able to overcome these obstacles.

7.       The hardest concept to understand is honne and tamatea. In American culture people are encouraged to state their points clearly and have everyone’s opinions and feelings known. Also in American culture people don’t generally care about other people’s feelings. Therefore, honne and tamatae is hard to understand because American culture is blunt and most often rude.

8.       As a painter I can relate to the adversity that the swing girls had to overcome. Most of my colleagues have been practicing art since grade school and feel that it comes naturally to them. I, on the other hand, did not become serious about painting till late in high school and therefore I have had to work harder that my colleagues to be a good painter. 

blog#2

1.       One scene where I saw aimai as a virtue was when the school administrator was first telling the teacher about how parents were complaining about Noguchi’s desk. Instead of arguing with the school administrator the teacher remained quiet and remained ambiguous. This was virtuous because instead of voicing his opinion and causing disruption, he maintained harmony between the school administration, him, and the students’ parents.

2.       The scenes with Sonobe, Noguchi, and the other bully show ambiguity. For example, when Sonobe is talking to Noguchi (in his memory), Noguchi is saying “No” and begging not to have to steal; however, he is doing it with a forced smile and forced laughter.  This shows aimai on the part of Noguchi because he was reluctant to sternly say “No”, and this gave Sonobe the opportunity to ignore his pain.

3.       In America bullying usually involves name-calling, pranks, public humiliation, and violence. In Japan bullying is more hidden. Japanese bullying is caused by people using other people’s desire to be uchi to manipulate them; whereas, American bullying is caused by people’s physical and verbal violence.

4.       Noguchi’s desire to be uchi caused his to not stand up for himself. And it was the other students’ desire to establish soto that caused them to bully. This can be seen with the bullying that occurred when a female student sent out and email telling everyone not to talk to another female student. The bullied student did not take a stand against the group because she wanted to be with the group, and the bullies treated her this way because they wanted to make a clear distinction of who was soto.

5.       In the film it seems as though the male students were socially dominant to the female student. This can be seen in with the boy who constantly stole the notebook of the bullied girl. The girl barely fights back and the boy establishes his dominance, which is the patriarchal dominance of Danjyo Kankei.

6.       The second set of reflection papers were more honest and showed that the students knew that they made a mistake. For example, Sonobe directly addressed Noguchi and explained to him why he was going to remember his faults. In Sonobe’s first letter he was writing it for the school; therefore, did not use meaningful language and wrote the letter so that he could forget the situation.

7.       The stuttering teacher challenged the students not to resort to bullying. Their first instinct was to make fun of the teacher; however, many of them then learned the need to “ listening earnestly,” as the teacher would say.

8.       The 3^rd person listed on Noguchi’s suicide note was “and everybody else.”

9.       The teacher told Sonobe that bullying is when you trample on somebody and refuse to see their pain.

10.   I like the quote “Starting over is cowardly”. This is an important life lesson topic that is ignored in American culture. 

Blog#1: Family, Gaijin,Marriage,Japanese-ness

Family

                “…husbands are superior to their wives and that wives should always be at the home to obey husbands.” I found this quote interesting because it relates to America in the 1950’s. However, instead of deriving from Confucianism, the patriarchal ideal for American family came from Christianity, In the 50’s women were expected stay home, wear a dress, raise the kids, cook dinner, and to the housework. This is similar to Japanese culture.

                “ … in Japanese families there still tends to be a strong distinction between family members and others.” This shows a difference between American culture and Japanese culture. America has a wide variety of families and lacks clear family traditional values. This is partly due to the increase in single parent families and divorce. American families are more diverse and it is nice that Japanese families hold a sense of unity.

Gaijin

                “These divisions reflect a basic dichotomy in the Japanese way of thinking” It is interesting that Japanese culture makes clear distinctions between insiders and outsiders and yet they also admire ambiguity.

                “… call people from other country gaijin no matter how long they have lived in Japan or how well they speak the language.” Immigration seems to be a big issue for both American and Japanese culture. Here the problem comes mostly from illegal immigration. This big political issue often leads to discrimination. This is ironic because America is a county of immigrants. Japan, on the other hand, is geographically secluded; therefore, it makes sense why they have clear distinctions between insiders and outsiders.

Marriage

                “Tying together families together by marriage for political power.” Even though this occurred during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods I am curious to know what influence this has on current Japanese culture. This reminds me of the cliché to “marry rich”. I wonder if there is this same cliché  mentality, in Japanese culture, that to be happy all you need to do is marry a rich man or women. 

Japanese-ness

                “inability to criticize others openly” I am a painter and a huge part of being in the art field in having your worked critiques in a public setting; therefore, I find it hard to understand a culture that does not criticize. In the past decade of so the contemporary Japanese art market has exploded and I am curious to know if this lack of criticism extends to the art community. If it does I would like to know how art is taught there.

                “Silence indicates deep thinking or consideration” This has been the opposite of my experiences. In American culture silence is uncomfortable and awkward. I remember a couple years ago it was a popular joke to say “awkward turtle” when there was a long pause in a conversation. At the same time however, the people I am most close too are people that I can be around silently and not feel awkward. In America it seems as though sharing silence indicates a certain level on intimacy.